The Trouble With Destiny
by Trueheart Zen
Summary: When Hermione and Fred find out that they are soulmates, they aren't sure what to think. Can they put their differences aside for the sake of true love, or are they only destined to die alone?
1. Anyone, Anyone but You

**Author's Note: So since ****_Time to Celebrate (_****My marriage law fic, in case you have found this story first) is going to end eventually, I figured it was time to debut this story that I've had on the back burner for awhile. It's another Fremione, so naturally AU where Fred survives the Battle of Hogwarts, because he should have to begin with. There's another AU that is the premise of the story, so I'll just let you all read and figure it out :)**

**I got the idea for this while rereading ****_Order of the Phoenix_**** over the summer, and wanted to write a love story where they didn't like each other very much at first, because they do bicker an awful lot.**

**I do promise that until it is finished, ****_TTC_**** is my first priority. I also don't have all the chapters plotted out like I did when starting ****_TTC, _****but I've got a half dozen finished chapters of this and an ending in mind, so why not share it with the world while I figure things out. The gears in my head are already turning I'll try to post a chapter at least once a week with this one, maybe more if I'm feeling generous.**

**One last note before I let you actually read the story, this might end up changing it's rating to M for very good reasons, so if that's not your thing, it's not too late to back out. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1 – Anyone, Anyone except You

Fred wasn't expecting much from this year's Destiny Day. The last two years he had gone without knowing his soul mate, and he doubted this year would be any different. Last year, the letters had come in and while George had found that his perfect match was Seamus Finnegan (while they were a little surprised at first, they soon discovered how happy they were together, as most couples did), Fred had received a letter apologizing that his match either hadn't been found, or hadn't come of age.

"Why so glum Freddie, it's Destiny Day!" George beamed as they made breakfast. This year it had been postponed due to the mess after the war, but Fred wished it hadn't. That way he could have been prepared for another year of waiting back in June, rather than now, in September.

Despite himself, Fred cracked a smile. It was difficult to be sad when George was around. "I'm just a little anxious." He replied. To be honest, Fred wasn't sure how he felt about the whole being told who your soul mate is thing. It seemed to take a lot of the fun out of the equation. Where was the thrill of the chase?  
A tawny owl tapped at the window, holding a tell-tale purple envelope in its beak. Fred let it in and it dropped the envelope before flying back out again.

"This could be your year." George said as Fred viewed the envelope warily. He chided himself for being so moody about the whole thing. He could be with the love of his life today.

He opened it, skimming the message about how the pairings were found (a mixture of divination, psychology, and archaic love magic), and how they weren't required to be with the person they were given at all, but good luck with anyone who wasn't their soulmate. What he read next he wasn't expecting of all. His pairing had come of age. She was Hermione Granger. He almost dropped the letter.

"So, what's her name?" George asked, mistaking his horror for simple surprise.

He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't. Not her. She was so bossy and loud and right about _everything_. Not little miss perfect. Not her. He could just hear her now, complaining about how the products in his and George's store were disruptive, or telling him off, or proving him wrong yet again. He could never fall in love with her.

"Another year to wait?" George asked sympathetically.

Fred shook his head, still unable to articulate what was going on in his head. She was Ron's best friend, for Godric's sake. Wouldn't they be better off together? He didn't seem to mind her. "It's Hermione." He said finally.

"_Granger_?" George laughed. "Nice try Freddie, but you're not fooling anyone. Who is she? I bet she's hot."

Fred handed George the letter. He read it through, then started laughing. "You and Hermione Granger. Someone is playing a joke on you."

Fred chuckled a little, but he didn't find it as funny as George did. "I hope so."

* * *

Hermione was rather excited about Destiny Day. The idea that there was certainly someone out there for her, and she didn't have to leave the library to find them was rather exciting. She wasn't much of a romantic, but there was a part of her that really did want to be with someone, especially _the_ someone, the one she was meant to be with.

Harry and Ron received their letters first, tearing them open excitedly, but frowning as they found out that they would have to wait at least another year. Ron insisted that he had better things to do this year than date, soulmate or not, but Hermione could tell that he was upset. Harry, however, was in good spirits about the whole thing.

"It's normal for guys to have to wait a year or two, right?" Harry said, "Because they're usually older than their match."

Ron grudgingly nodded his agreement. "Lots of guys have to wait."  
"Isn't one of your brothers still waiting on his?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded. "Fred is, Bill was, but he got his last year, finally. Charlie was told that he didn't have a match, and he seemed rather happy about that. Mum wasn't, but she just wants grandkids."

Hermione was silent, looking around the kitchen of the small house the three of them shared. She didn't even notice when an owl swooped in the open window and lay a deep purple envelope beside her.

"Hermione, your letter is here." Ron said, getting her attention.

Hermione picked it up excitedly and opened it. Her pairing was of age, older than her, and had been waiting a couple years. That was promising. Her excitement faded however, when she reached the name. _Fred Weasley_. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

"So who's the lucky guy?" Harry asked.

"I'm stuck waiting, too." She shrugged.

"Liar." Ron said. "I saw the look on your face, who is it?"

"Come on Hermione, we won't laugh. He is your soulmate, so we'll have to like him." Harry assured.

Hermione stood and slipped the letter into her pocket. "I'm going to get ready for work."

Ron grabbed the letter as she walked by. She snatched it back angrily, but by the look on his face, she knew he had seen. "That was rather rude." She snapped.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it, seeing who you're meant to be with."

Harry gave him a confused look. "Fred. My idiot brother." Ron explained with a disgusted look.

"Go on, laugh." She said, tears forming in her eyes. She stormed out of the kitchen and to her bedroom. There had to be a mistake. There had to. They couldn't really expect her perfect match to be that idiot prankster, could they?

She decided to go down to the ministry after work and insist that the matchmakers look at her case again. They had to have done something wrong.

* * *

When another letter didn't come, Fred tried to make the best of it. It's not like she was awful, after all. She was rather pretty, and intelligence had to be a plus, but her bossy voice still rang in his head. _You mustn't, you really mustn't!_

Business was slow, as it was every Destiny Day. People were out buying chocolates and sweet little presents, going on first dates. Portable swamps and nosebleed nougat was not appreciated on days like today.

She was his soulmate. He had barely even noticed her before, and she was his soulmate. Shouldn't there have been a spark between them, something, anything that might have told him that she was the girl that would make him happier than anything else in the world?

He tried to think.

_You see this, it's an age line. Dumbledore himself drew it. He isn't going to be fooled by something so incredibly dim-witted._

He had to admit, she was right that time. She was right about everything, and very smug about it too.

"Thinking about Granger, I see." George said, setting a box beside him.

"How can you tell?" He asked, leaning against the counter.

"You've got this look on your face like you just bitten into a stinkpellet. It's not like you have to be with her, it's just a suggestion, really."

"I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone, either."

"She's not that bad. A little bossy, but she's cute."

He had a point. "Yeah."

"Remember how she looked at the Yule Ball?"

Despite himself, Fred smiled. She was gorgeous, that was something. Attractiveness wasn't everything however. "I remember." He also remembered him and George trying to cheer her up after Ron had made her cry, that git. She had laughed at their antics, instead of getting irritated like she usually did. "This isn't as bad as I'm making it out to be, is it?"

"It never is."

* * *

Hermione poked at her ice cream sundae with her spoon, ignoring all the couples around her. Her trip to the ministry had not gone as planned. The matchmakers had insisted that she and Fred were a perfect pair, indeed, one of the most perfect pairs they had ever found. At this point, her only hope was to wake up and find out that today was just a dream, and that her letter would come in with a match that would actually be good for her.

She looked down the road at Fred and George's shop. Should she go see him? She hadn't even spoken to him in months. She looked down at her ice cream, which was melting pitifully in the heat.

Well, it couldn't hurt to see him. Maybe there would be magical chemistry between them that she hadn't noticed before.

Still feeling like this was someone's idea of a sick joke, Hermione walked into the twin's shop, a bell tinkling behind her.

She looked around, but saw neither of them. "Hello?" She called out.

With a crack, one of the twins – she couldn't tell which, appeared at the counter. "Well hello." He grinned.

"Hi." She said tentatively, walking up to him. She was suddenly struck by the sheer awkwardness of the situation. _Hey, I'm your soulmate apparently, want to go out sometime?_

The other twin appeared though a doorway behind the counter. "Do we actually have a customer -" He paused when he saw her. "Hermione, hi." That one had to be Fred.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds to it." George winked, making himself scarse.

"Um, hey." She suddenly felt rather blushy as Fred walked over to her.

A blush invaded his cheeks as well. "_Hi_."

Neither of them seemed to know what to say for a few moments. Given any other circumstances, Hermione would have felt proud to make a guy, especially one as confident as Fred, lost for words, but now it was just uncomfortable.

She decided to speak. "So we're soulmates, apparently?" She could have chosen something more intelligent.

"Yeah. Weird, right?" He said, then immediately looked like he regretted saying that.

This was going well. The desire to cry hit her hard. "Um, I should probably go, it's my turn to cook dinner." It was always her turn to cook dinner, Ron and Harry were useless. She turned to leave. He didn't stop her.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Should I continue? If so, please review and tell me what you think! **

**-Zen and Sirius**

_PS - Sirius is my cat, for anyone confused. This story has only one author :)_


	2. A Fair Bet

**Since I received so many sweet reviews on the first chapter, and got another chapter for this one written, I decided it was time to post another chapter. Since everyone seems to want me to continue, I shall :)**

**Also, fun fact for you all, up until ten seconds before posting this story on here, the title was _Of Love and Lust_ but I decided that it didn't quite fit.**

* * *

Chapter 2 - A Fair Bet

Hermione was silent as she cooked supper. Harry and Ron were in the living room, laughing at something that had happened during Auror training. She tried to ignore them.

"Will one of you come set the table, or do I have to do everything around here?" She called irritably. They both appeared immediately.

"Would you like some help 'Mione?" Harry asked.

"It would be appreciated." She directed them to make the salad and set the table. They continued to joke and laugh as they did so, and Hermione was in a right foul mood by the time supper was done.

"I think I'm going to eat in my room, I've got some work to do." She said. It wasn't exactly a lie, there were some cases she wanted to review before tomorrow (she was a caseworker for mistreated magical brethren, especially house-elves. It wasn't SPEW, but it was something).

"You work too hard." Ron insisted. "Just sit and eat with us, it won't kill you."

Hermione knew it wasn't worth arguing. She was silent as they sat down to eat, except for thanking them for their compliments of her cooking.

"Okay 'Mione, what are you sulking about?" Ron asked.

"I'm not sulking."

"And Ron isn't afraid of spiders. What's wrong?" Harry said. Ron gave him a betrayed look.

She didn't want to tell them. She stood up. "I really have work to do."

Just then, a large, green barn owl swooped in and dropped a letter on the table. The three of them looked at it. It was for her. She picked it up and walked to her room without another word.

After closing and locking the door, she sat on her bed and opened the letter. She could barely read the messy handwriting, but as far as she could tell, it said;

_Hermione,_

_ Sorry for being rather unintelligent earlier. I had meant to ask you if you wanted to attend the party George and I are throwing at our flat on Friday night. Harry and Ron are invited as well, if they would like._

_ -Fred_

Hermione sat, looking at the letter. She hadn't been invited to many parties in her life, so this was new. What kind of party would it be? She hoped not a crazy one with a lot of drinking. She would hate that.

She bit her lip. It couldn't hurt to go. She got up and returned to the kitchen. Harry and Ron looked up at her expectantly.

"Do you two want to go to a party at Fred and George's flat with me on Friday night? We're all invited."

Ron looked like he might decline, but Harry elbowed him. "Of course." Harry said with a forced smile. "Sounds like fun."

"Good." Hermione said, returning to her room before they could say anything else.

As she walked down the hall, she heard Ron complain "_Fun_, _Harry, Fun?_ You've apparently never been to one of their parties."

Hermione tried to pretend she hadn't heard.

* * *

Fred couldn't help but feel anxious as the people started arriving. Why had he invited her? She probably hated parties, too many people, too much noise, and far too much _fun_. He should have invited her to a library or something, or a book club.

There was a knock at the door, and Fred opened it to let guests in – Dean Thomas, Katie Bell, and Hannah Abbot. He couldn't help but be relieved that she wasn't here yet. She had said she was coming, but she could have changed her mind. He almost hoped she had.

"You okay Fred?" Hannah asked. "You seem a little anxious."

"I'm alright." He forced a smile, which was something he rarely had to do.

"He's waiting on a very important guest." George explained, putting one arm around his shoulder.

"Oh, did you get your match this year?"

"I did." He smiled genuinely, despite himself.

"That's sweet, who is she?" Hannah asked.

"Hermione Granger." He replied, a little self-conscious.

"She's really nice, congratulations."

"Thanks. Did you get a match this year?"

"I did." She blushed. "Neville Longbottom." She looked very happy with this arrangement.

There was a knock at the door, and George went to answer it, letting Harry, Ron, and Hermione in. Hannah winked and went to go join Katie over by the stereo. George, Harry, and Ron started talking about something, but Hermione walked over to him. She was wearing a simple sundress, not unlike most of the girls there. It was reddish pink with blue embroidery - it looked like he was looking at her chest. He looked up at her instead and smiled. "Hey, glad you could make it."

"Of course, thanks for inviting me." She replied, and he was happy that they were both capable of conversation this time.

"You look really nice."

She blushed. "Thanks, I wasn't sure what to wear."

In response to her _very_ long letter full of questions, he had told her that she could wear whatever she wanted, it was a casual party. "Well, you look great."

"Thanks. I -" She paused, looking for something to compliment. "I like your shoelaces." She giggled nervously.

He looked down, his laces were neon green and pink. "Thanks, I pride myself on my exquisite shoelaces."

She laughed, a real one this time. "I'm sure you do."

He wasn't sure how to respond to this, and they were both silent for some time. George walked by, and suddenly Hermione fell forward into him. "Are you okay?" He asked, helping her stand back up.

"Yeah, I think someone pushed me." She turned her head to look, and Fred realized that he was still holding onto her. He let her go.

"That might have been George, I'm sorry."

She looked at him. "Oh, that's not very nice."

"No, I think he was trying to help, I did the same thing when he was being awkward around Seamus last year."

"You pushed him? How does that help?"

"Seamus fell into him, discovering that his soulmate wore the most intoxicating cologne."

Hermione laughed. "That's cute. Too bad it didn't work for us."

"I mean, it's not too late, I smell incredible today." He had just showered.

She actually stepped forward and smelled him. "You do actually smell nice." She said, looking up at him. She was really close to him, and for some reason he felt like kissing her was a good idea.

A commotion behind them grabbed their attention. Ron and Dean were arguing loudly about something. Hermione strode over purposefully and pulled them apart. "Boys, don't be stupid."

They both gave her angry looks, but walked away. Fred was impressed. Hermione did not return to talk to him however, she seemed to have taken the excuse to hide in a corner with Ron and Harry.

George walked over to him and handed him a drink. "She's rather good at breaking up fights."

Fred nodded. "They didn't even try to protest."

George took a sip of his drink. "So I've got a friendly wager for you."

He grinned. "And what might that be?"

"I bet you can't get Granger to kiss you by the end of the night."

"What if I kiss her?" He asked, taking a sip. George really knew how to mix drinks.

"That either."

He looked over at her. She had her back turned to him, but Harry saw him looking over. Fred turned to his twin. "It's on."

* * *

"What were you and Dean even arguing about?" Hermione asked.

"Quidditch." He said, as if it was perfectly normal to make a scene over something so trivial.

"Of course. Bellowing like idiots over a stupid game."

"Don't let Fred hear you say that, he loves that stupid game, too."

"Will you shut up about him?" She snapped. She was already starting to regret attending this party.

Ron crossed his arms angrily. "Fine. But let me tell you, if I had found my soulmate this year, I wouldn't be angry about it."

"I'm not angry."

"You're not happy either."

"I'm sorry, I just happened to think that my soulmate might be someone I could actually see myself being with?"

Harry gave her a look, his eyes darting above her. She bit her lip, turning around to see Fred standing behind her.

"I'm sorry – this was a mistake, I need to go." She pushed through the crowd of people and out the door.

"Hermione, wait."

She turned around, against her better judgment to just apparate home. Fred closed the door behind him, and they just stood there in the quiet hall for a moment.

"I'm sorry." She said.

He walked over to her. "It's alright, I understand."

She ran her hand through her hair. "It's not that you're not-" She paused, unsure of what to say.

"It's okay. Neither of us expected this."

She nodded. "Can we just go somewhere and talk? Somewhere quiet?"

"Of course. Do you want to go to my room?"

She wasn't sure how to respond to that. Her mother had raised her to not be the kind of girl who went to guy's rooms, especially not during parties. However, given the circumstances… "I don't want everyone to see us go in there. They might get the wrong idea."

"We could apparate."

She hadn't considered that. "I'm not sure where your room is."

"Well-"

Knowing what he was trying to say, she took a step into him, and he put an arm around her. She felt a tiny flutter in her stomach, but that may have just been the feeling of apparating.

* * *

After they had apparated in, Hermione sat awkwardly on the end of his bed. Fred, unsure of what to do, leaned against the dresser in front of her. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, we're supposed to be a perfect match, right?"

"Yeah." He was growing increasingly more disenchanted with the whole soulmate thing.

"But neither of us seems to be very happy about it."

He nodded. "Not particularly." From what she said she seemed exceptionally unhappy about it, not that his feelings were of joy.

She looked like she might cry, he hadn't meant upset her. He walked over and sat beside her. "I propose an experiment."

She looked up at him. "And what's that?"

While part of it was because of the bet with George, he couldn't shake the feeling he had earlier. "One kiss. If we feel nothing, we forget this ever happened."

"And if we feel something?" She asked, almost hopefully.

"Then we try and make this work, and maybe the matchmakers were right, after all." They couldn't be the first ones to doubt their match like this.

"I accept your terms." She replied with a small smile.

Fred knew what he was supposed to do then, but hesitated. She looked at him expectantly, she wasn't about to make the first move. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She _was_ really pretty.

Neither of them moved, just looking into each other's eyes. Hers were a soft brown, he hadn't noticed that before. She blushed and looked down. He needed to stop hesitating.

Reaching out, he gently pressed his hand on her cheek, turning her face back towards him, before leaning in slowly and pressing his lips to hers.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think :)**

**-Zen and Sirius**


	3. An Unexpected Result

**AN: Thank you to everyone that has been supporting this story, it really means the world to me! I hadn't expected it to get this much love :) **

**Fun fact about this story, my imagining of the floorplan for Fred and George's apartment is the same as the apartment in a different story of mine, which happens to be about serial killers. Isn't that cute?**

* * *

Chapter 3 – An Unexpected Result

_"Reaching out, he gently pressed his hand on her cheek, turning her face back towards him, before leaning in slowly and pressing his lips to hers."_

It wasn't a firework of sensation, like she expected, but it wasn't nothing either. She closed her eyes as his lips pressed gently against hers, like the meeting of two butterfly wings. He pulled back, and she thought that was going to be it, but he kissed her again, for real this time, and she was actually sad when he stopped.

She opened her eyes slowly, tiny feathers tickling her insides. He looked as surprised as she was.

"So." He whispered, looking into her eyes like he was seeing her for the first time. "Soulmates, huh?"

She was breathing heavier for some reason. Had he actually taken her breath away? It was just a kiss. It wasn't like she had never been kissed before. "_Yeah_." She replied, suddenly feeling very confident. "But maybe you should kiss me again to make sure." A kiss from her soulmate had to be special, right?

He obliged, kissing her without any of his previous trepidation. Unsure of what to do with her hands, she tangled her fingers in his hair, and he pulled her into him. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it might jump out of her chest. She had to be mad, this was Fred Weasley, she was alone with him, in his bedroom, a party going on right outside and he was kissing her. _And she was enjoying it._

She parted her lips and his tongue met hers, her body feeling like plasma or putty in his hands, what was she doing – their tongues were twisted around each other and she never wanted it to stop.

He pulled back and she was genuinely disappointed. He looked at her, this big silly grin on his face. He actually was rather cute. He had tiny little freckles across the bridge of his nose, she had never been close enough to him to notice. There were probably a million things about him that she had never bothered to notice. It was time to remedy that.

Neither of them spoke, it seemed to her as if they were perfect only when they weren't speaking, so she was silent. What was she getting herself into?

* * *

Had he really just kissed Hermione Granger?

Fred's heart beat madly in his chest, and she was looking at him with this sweet little smile, Merlin, she was beautiful. Being with her couldn't be that bad, could it?

What should he do now? Kiss her again, or speak, or what? Would she think he was being an animal if he just continued to kiss her, or would she want to talk about what had just happened? His brain was working faster than he ever thought possible.

She answered his questions for him by pulling him in for another kiss. Now that, he didn't have to think about. Her fingers tangled in his hair, her lips slowly parting against his. He pushed her back onto the bed - her hands pressed into his lower back, her confident fingers trailing up to the back of his neck she pulled him closer - he could feel her heartbeat against his chest – before he realized what he was doing, his lips trailed to her neck, a soft sigh escaping her lips - _oh her skin was so soft_ \- was he really doing this? They needed to stop. This was their first kiss, after all. They barely knew each other. But he didn't really want to stop.

There was a knock at the door. He turned his head to look at the door, but decided to ignore it. There was another knock, a bit louder this time, and Fred sighed, kissing her one more time before getting up.

"Just a moment." How did anyone know they were in here?

She sat up as he opened the door a crack. It was George. He slipped out into the hall and shut the door behind him.

"Did you forget about the party?"

"No, I've just got better things to do."

George gave him a stern look. "Just because Hermione left doesn't mean you need to be sulking – you don't have another girl in there, do you?"

Fred held back a grin. "Not another girl, no."

George looked confused, then shocked. "You're joking."

"Not this time. You owe me breakfast tomorrow."

George shook his head. "Carry on then." He walked away and Fred slipped back into his room.

* * *

Hermione looked around the room after Fred had left. It was rather plain and boyish, the dresser drawers weren't closed completely, the walls were plain white except for a Quidditch poster tacked on the wall beside the door – Hermione noticed that it was the team Oliver Wood now played for - but other than a handful of personal items scattered about, it could have been anyone's room.

She looked over at the door, the pounding in her chest having calmed down a bit. What was she doing? She certainly wasn't acting like herself, kissing a guy she barely knew – thinking of doing more, alone in his room. What if Harry and Ron knew what she was doing? They would tease her to no end, especially Ron. But Fred was her soulmate, wasn't he? So being with him had to be okay. Even if it was like this. Right?

Perhaps not.

She was quite terrible with this relationship business. Since very few people dated before they got their perfect match, she hadn't had much experience in the how relationships were supposed to work department (except that whole business with Krum, but it had ended terribly, so she could hardly count that).

Fred returned, still grinning like a fool. He seemed happy. "George wanted to make sure I wasn't sulking." He explained, sitting down next to her. Why was he so happy? Didn't she drive him crazy?

"You don't seem like the sulking type."

"I'm really not, but I did just disappear so he wanted to check on me."

She nodded her understanding. "I should probably let you get back to the party."

"Are you going to stay?"

She bit her lip. "Parties aren't really my thing." She was honestly starting to feel a little embarrassed about the whole thing. "But thanks."

He seemed at a loss for words. "Can I see you again soon?"

She blushed a little. "I've got Tuesday off." She offered.

"Do you want to meet me for lunch, there's this little café by the shop I always go to."

"I've been there, they have a great potato soup." She ordered dinner from there a lot when she didn't feel like cooking.

"I'll see you around twelve thirty then?"

"It's a date." She grinned. She hadn't expected to be so happy about it, but maybe they could make it work. It was worth a shot, at least.

"I'll see you then." He leaned over and kissed her softly. It was such a simple thing, a kiss. Why did it have to mean so much?

* * *

George gave Fred a strange look when he returned to the party. It had reached the point where everyone was drunk and loud and it wasn't fun anymore. Harry and Ron were nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Hermione?" His twin asked.

"She went home." He replied. "Not a fan of parties."

"You didn't upset her, did you?"

He shook his head. "We're going out on Tuesday."

George smiled. "Excellent."

"Why are you pushing us together so much?" It was almost irritating, but he knew his twin meant well.

George was silent for a moment. "I'm going to ask Seamus to marry me." He said finally. Fred understood, George didn't want him to be alone.

_Score one for the matchmakers_. Fred thought bitterly. "Congratulations." He smiled.

"Assuming he says yes, will you be my best man?"

"I don't know, won't it confuse him with both of us standing up there?" He teased.

George laughed. "As long as you're not there for the honeymoon I think we'll be fine."

Fred laughed, but his mind was elsewhere, if it wasn't for the matchmakers, would he even have given Hermione a second thought? There was something between them, definitely, but he wasn't sure if it was the beginnings of love or just lust. He wasn't sure what to call what they had between them.

What if the whole soulmate thing was just a big joke, and these people were happy together just out of their belief in the matchmakers. What proof did he have that they even knew what they were doing?

* * *

**The beginnings of true love, or just really amazing physical chemistry? Can they the two be reconciled, or should these opposites have stayed unnatracted? Destiny is a fickle mistress, after all ;)**

**I think this will be my last update until next week, or at least this weekend, because my other fic needs some love (and finals are coming up!). I promise to return as soon as possible. However, if you have a deficit of Fremione in your life, please be sure to check out my marriage law fic, Time to Celebrate. **

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think! Your support means so much to me :)**

**-Zen and Sirius**


	4. Some Intelligent Conversation

Chapter 4 – Some Intelligent Conversation

"So what happened last night?" Harry asked, sitting next to Hermione on the couch.

She continued to focus on her book, pretending not to have heard, but it was no use because her cheeks were burning red. "Nothing." She replied, not looking up.

"Okay, because you seemed rather upset when you left."

"I was, we got it sorted out." She looked up at Harry, who seemed surprised.

"Good. It's good to hear that." Despite his smile, he seemed a little sad.

"Everything alright with you?" She asked.

He nodded. "Of course."

Hermione wasn't convinced. Harry hadn't seemed right since Destiny Day. She just assumed that he was upset over being alone for a year. At least he was taking it better than Ron.

If she was going to be honest, Hermione had expected her soulmate to be Harry. It's not like she was harboring a giant crush on him or anything (like Ginny Weasley), but there was always a small part of her that wouldn't have been disappointed if it happened.

Ron came trudging out of his bedroom, looking grumpy. "Where's breakfast?" He asked.

"It was your turn to cook." Harry replied. While Hermione always cooked supper, and for most other meals everyone was on their own, Harry and Ron took turns cooking breakfast on Saturdays, mostly as a thank you to Hermione.

"I've got a hangover from hell Harry, will you do it?"

"It's your own fault for letting George mix your drinks."

Ron groaned. "I think he put something funny in that third one."

Feeling suddenly charitable and kind, Hermione closed her book. "I'll cook breakfast."

Both Harry and Ron looked at her like she was a saint. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Go lie back down Ron, I'll whip you up something for that hangover."

Ron nodded and stumbled back to bed. Hermione walked into the kitchen and soon had French toast, blueberry muffins, and bacon going. While everything was cooking, she looked up a hangover cure, throwing it together in no time. Directing Harry to watch the bacon, she went to look after Ron.

"You're way too nice for someone like my brother." Ron murmured as Hermione readjusted his pillows.

"Drink you potion before it gets cold or it won't work." She said in lieu of response. He obeyed, making an awful face after one sip.

"What's in this, rotten mayonnaise and hellfire?"

Hermione pinched his nose closed, tight. "Drink it."

He did, gagging as he finished it. Hermione handed him a glass of pumpkin juice to wash the taste out of his mouth. "You're an angel." He said after he had drank it down.

"If I was an angel, I would have stopped you from drinking in the first place."

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course, Ron."

"I think I'm in love with you."

She wasn't quite sure to respond to that, especially since she didn't return the feeling. She lay a cold compress over his eyes. "Lie like this for about ten minutes and you'll be fine."

He tried to sit back up. "Didn't you hear me?"

"I heard you." She replied quietly, pushing him back down and laying the compress back over his eyes. "It's just not destined to be." It was a poor answer, but it was the best she had.

* * *

Fred lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was very disinteresting, but his thoughts kept him from getting too bored with it. The events of last night kept replaying in her mind. Why had she decided to leave? Had he done something wrong?

She had agreed to see him again, that meant something. Why was he so hung up on a girl that less than a week ago he barely cared about the existence of? He was still rather unsure about the whole soulmate thing. There had never been anything between them before, so why was there now – because there certainly was something, but what, he wasn't sure. Should he have kissed her? He won the bet with George, but all bets aside, was that the right thing to do?

There wasn't anything he could do about it, he supposed. Also, it was hard to regret a kiss like that. He couldn't help but wonder if there could have been more if George hadn't interrupted. Would he have wanted there to be more?

Since when was he attracted to Granger? She was pretty, all right, but he never expected himself to go for the bossy, intelligent type.

But if she wasn't his type, what was?

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. "Your highness, breakfast is done."

"Why aren't you bringing it to me on a golden platter?"

"Because your highness needs to get off his lazy arse every once in a while."

Fred got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. George had made pancakes and sausage, and the air smelled like chocolate chips and spicy meat. It wasn't a bad combination.

"So I slipped Ron a slow acting truth potion last night." George said as Fred piled his plate with food. "He should be spilling his guts to whoever is around him right about now."

There was a bossy voice in Fred's brain that was telling him how mean that was, but he ignored it. "That'll teach him to mix his own drinks."

"That one never learns." George said with a laugh before starting in on his food. It was almost surprising how much the two of them could eat.

"So how did it really go with Hermione last night?" George asked between bites.

Fred took a drink of milk, then told him everything. There wasn't much holding back between the two of them.

George finished chewing, swallowed, and then spoke. "Well, at least you got a second date." He always knew just what to say.

Fred grinned. "So when are you going to propose to Seamus?" He hadn't been very supportive last night, and he felt rather bad.

"I'm not sure yet. My current plan is on his birthday next month, but I'm not sure how to do it."

"It should involve fireworks." He suggested. George and Seamus _loved _fireworks.

"I wonder if we can rework the sparklers to say nice things instead of dirty ones - not that he wouldn't be amused."

Fred felt a twang of jealousy but ignored it. Seamus was nice, and was rather amused by their joke shop creations, but he had never felt anything other than friendship towards him. So why was he jealous now – other than the fact that the fates would have him with a girl who had once called his life's work rubbish?

* * *

Hermione was feeling more and more anxious as she got ready for her date. She looked in the mirror at the third outfit she had tried. What was she doing, it wasn't like he hadn't seen her a mess in the mornings in the Gryffindor common room, why did she care so much now?

She wasn't obsessing over this - over him, was she?

She decided to go back to her original idea, ordinary robes. It was probably what he was wearing, after all. But what if he wasn't? But he was taking off from work to meet her, and she knew he wore plain robes there, like any normal wizard. That settled it, she was wearing plain black robes.

But there were those purple ones she had bought on a whim a week ago, she hadn't even worn them yet… But that would make it look like she was trying to impress him.

_Was she trying to impress him?_

She did rather want him to like her – but wouldn't he like her anyway, she was his soulmate, after all. She bit her lip. The purple ones _were_ nice.

Now what about her hair?

She collapsed on her bed. This was far too difficult. She almost wished that she was still waiting for her match like Harry and Ron. She could hear them in the living room, playing exploding snap.

She walked out, forgetting she was just in shorts and a tank top.

"Ready for your date I see." Harry teased.

She gave him an irritated look. "I can't decide what to wear."

"Well he'll love that." Ron muttered. Things had been a little awkward between them since Ron's admission on Saturday morning. Hermione felt a little bad, she had hurt his feelings, but it wasn't like she wanted to be with him either.

"If you were on a date, and the girl showed up wearing ordinary robes, what would you think?" She asked.

"I'm definitely dating a witch." Harry replied cheekily.

What was she doing asking them? They were no help. She sighed loudly and returned to her room.

* * *

When Fred got to the café, Hermione was already waiting for him at a table. She was wearing purple robes (Fred wished he had wearing something more interesting than his ordinary work robes) that matched the purple ribbon she had tied her bushy ponytail up with. She smiled nervously when she saw him, and he smiled back.

"Hey." He said intelligently, sitting down across from her. "Sorry I kept you waiting."

"I just got here too, don't worry." She smiled. Her teeth were very white.

A waitress came over and took their drink order, and she ordered a soda with cherry syrup, so he did the same.

"So how's business today?" Hermione asked.

"Kinda slow, but that's to be expected on a weekday. How's your day off?"

"Good so far, Harry and Ron had the day off as well so we were playing exploding snap."

"Watch out, Ron cheats."

Hermione laughed. "I know, but I'm so bad at it I'd lose anyway."

"Wait, there's actually something you're bad at?" He was surprised.

"I'm terrible at chess, too." She admitted.

The waitress came back with their drinks, which were expectantly pink. When Hermione didn't protest, he assumed they were supposed to be like that. Hermione ordered the potato soup and half a sandwich – hold the mayo, pickles on the side. Fred ordered his usual, a club sandwich (with extra mayo), and chips.

He took a sip of his drink. It was actually pretty good.

"In America, they're called Shirley Temples." She said, taking a sip of her own drink. He gave her a confused look. "The drink, it was invented for a child star. It's just a fun fact." She looked uncomfortable.

"That is a fun fact." He said, and she smiled. "So where do you work?" He was curious.

"I work for the ministry, the department of fair treatment of magical brethren. It's kind of new."

"Oh." He remembered her obsession with freeing house-elves. "What do you do there?"

"I'm a caseworker, mostly for house-elves but I've also worked with centaurs and a goblin or two."

"Sounds like fun." He wanted to sound more interested but she really hadn't given him much to work with.

"Not as fun as running a joke shop, I'll bet." Was she actually complimenting his shop?

"It is fun, but it's also a lot of work." He said, trying to make himself sound intelligent. "Like last night we were doing inventory for hours." That was exhausting.

Hermione was about to respond, but their food arriving interrupted her. They were mostly silent as they ate, except for a little ordinary conversation, mostly about how his parents were doing, and how exceptionally warm it was for late September.

* * *

After they finished eating, they chatted for a while. Hermione was surprised that they were capable of intelligent conversation, given their previous encounters, but there they were, chatting away. When the check came, there was a bit of an argument, Hermione insisting that they split the bill, but she eventually gave in. He was a little old fashioned, and at least wanted to pay for the first date. She could allow him that much.

"I had better let you get back to your shop." Hermione said as they left the café.

"We can hang out for a while if you want, Seamus is covering for me, and I'm sure he'd love to stay longer."

Hermione was confused until she remembered that Seamus was George's boyfriend. "What do you want to do then?"

He thought for a minute. "I don't know, this was where my devious plan ended."

She tried to think of something. "We could just walk around for a bit until we find something to do."

Since neither of them could come up with a better plan, that is what they did. Like the girl she was, Hermione walked with her hand at her side, in hopes that Fred would decide to hold it. Despite her embarrassment, she had rather enjoyed their kiss, and was dying for physical contact between the two of them again.

It wasn't until they sat to rest on a bench, after some time of walking around and checking out some of the little shops they hadn't checked out before, that Hermione got her wish, but he didn't hold her hand, he put his arm around her. She scooted a little closer, part of her wanting to be even closer, but they were in public - and barely knew each other.

"Would it be wrong of me if I were to ask you back to my place?" It seemed like Fred felt the same. Ever since their kiss on Friday night, she had been wanting more. Exactly how much more, though, she wasn't sure.

She felt her cheeks warm. "I wouldn't mind."

* * *

**Alone together again? Who knows what that will bring! :)**

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review ****and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen and Sirius**


	5. A Victory, Of Some Sort

**I wasn't going to post a chapter today, but today is the anniversary of the battle of Hogwarts, so I feel like Fremione shippers everywhere need something to make them happy today.**

* * *

Chapter 5 – A Victory, of Some Sort

_"Would it be wrong of me if I were to ask you back to my place?" It seemed like Fred felt the same. Ever since their kiss on Friday night, she had been wanting more._

_ She felt her cheeks warm. "I wouldn't mind."_

He couldn't believe she had actually agreed to come back with him, Only, now what? He hadn't expected her to say yes. To be honest, he didn't think he would have had the courage to ask.

They sat on the couch, both suddenly at a loss for words. Should he kiss her? She was twisting her ponytail around her fingers, and looking around, unsure of what to do.

"Your place is really nice when there aren't a ton of people in it." She said finally.

"Thanks, it's a little messy but so are George and me."

She laughed at that one. She had a cute laugh, he had always thought that. She looked at him curiously. "What is that look for?"

"What look?"

"You keep looking at me like you're seeing me for the first time, and you find me fascinating."

"Maybe I have short term memory loss."

"You've known me for years."

"I have? Who are you again?"

She laughed. "Your _soulmate_."

"I think I'd remember that."

"Let me remind you then." She leaned forward and kissed him.

She stopped after a moment, but he pulled her back in, not wanting to let her go. Her lips turned into a grin, and he opened his eyes, looking directly into hers. She giggled, nuzzling her nose against his.

"Are we really doing this?" She asked.

"We appear to be." He replied. "Is there something wrong with it?"

She shook her head. "Not at all." Her lips turned into a smirk. He didn't even know she was the smirking type but that was the hottest thing she could have done.

He leaned forward and kissed her rather than saying anything else, pulling her onto his lap. She held his face in her hands and kissed him, pressing her entire body against his, making every part of him burn hotter than he had ever felt. He was suddenly aware of a particular part of his body becoming very interested in what was going on. Would she notice? He hoped it wasn't too obvious…

She kissed him even harder, pressing her hips against his. Apparently she didn't mind.

His hands trailed down her back, itching to go farther down. Her lips trailed down his neck and he decided to go for it, she did have a perfect ass.

* * *

_Had she lost her mind? _

Hermione's heart was pounding, they hadn't even thought of being together for more than a week but here she was, on top of him on the couch, with her lips on his skin and his hands on her – she _had_ lost her mind – but somehow, she didn't want to stop. So she didn't.

She nibbled his neck, eliciting a sigh from his throat and a tremor from between his hips – he got turned on easier than Viktor – _now that wasn't the thing to be thinking right now_…

"We could go back to my room." He whispered in her ear, his teeth grazing her earlobe – oh he made it so hard to think.

She pulled back to look at him before answering, the smile on his face absolutely maddening. Since when did she find him attractive? Maybe it didn't matter.

"But I'm having fun out here." She teased, leaning in to kiss him, he nipped at her bottom lip. She giggled, trying to kiss him again, and he kissed back this time, his lips parting against hers. She was glad they both grabbed breath mints on the way out of the café, he tasted like peppermint.

His lips trailed down her neck, nibbling and sucking at her skin. She tilted her head back and a soft moan escaped her lips. How did he know exactly what she liked? "Granger, you're so hot." He murmured, kissing her with newfound passion, untying her hair so he could run his fingers through it. The ribbon floated forgotten to the floor.

She thought she heard a noise from the kitchen but she ignored it as Fred's lips started venturing further down, his fingers starting on the buttons of her robe. A wave of heat coursed through her entire body before settling in her groin. She had never wanted anyone so bad, almost feeling ashamed of the way she was acting. Almost. They were soulmates, after all, no one could fault her for this. She decided to help him with her buttons. They were rather tricky, after all.

She regretted ignoring the sound in the kitchen when she heard a voice that was extremely similar to the one that just told her how hot she was. "Glad to see you're getting along."

Hermione's cheeks filled with the heat that had previously resided in other areas of her body. She couldn't even look up, instead, burying her face in Fred's shoulder, – Merlin he smelled good.

"Hey George." Fred said casually, leaning back to look at his brother, his hands on her lower back – at least he had moved them. "Your timing is terrible."

Hermione wasn't quite sure how to react to this. Arguably, she could just stay with her head buried in Fred's shoulder until the end of time, but that didn't seem like the best course of action.

"I can tell." George replied with a chuckle. "Well don't let me bother you." He said, and Hermione assumed he had walked away. She still hadn't moved.

"Sorry." Fred whispered.

"We probably should have gone to your room." She murmured.

"We still can."

She got off of him then, her cheeks still blazing with heat and her skin tingling where he had touched her. She stood in front of him, rebuttoning her robe, unsure of what to do next. He stood and put his arms around her. "I had better go." She said finally, looking up at him. She hadn't noticed how much taller he was before, but if she wanted to kiss him from this position she would definitely need to stand on her tiptoes. Or, he could always put those muscles to good use and hold her up – what had gotten into her today?

"Please stay." He insisted, leaning down to kiss her, his lips lingering on hers.

She very much wanted to, but wasn't sure what would happen if she did. They really needed to talk about things before this went any further. "What time is it?"

He looked at his wristwatch. "About six thirty."

She bit her lip. The boys would be home already, no doubt wondering where she was. "I really need to go." She said apologetically.

He sighed. "When can I see you again?"

_Soon_. Every part of her screamed soon. "What are you doing Friday night?"

* * *

Fred collapsed back onto the couch after Hermione had left, every part of him cursing his twin's bad timing. Things were going so well too. He noticed a bright object on the floor by his foot, and bent down to pick it up.

It was Hermione's hair ribbon.

Fred smiled, running it between his fingers. It was silky and soft, and a couple of her hairs still clung to it. He stood, slipping it into his pocket, as he walked back to his twin's room.

He knocked on the door.

"There's a whole box of them in the bathroom." George called back. Fred knew that already, he wouldn't have had to ask.

"That's not what I need."

"Just because Seamus is bisexual doesn't mean he wants to be your third."

"I don't need Seamus stealing my girlfriend." Had he just called her that? It just felt right.

George opened the door. "The how may I be of assistance?" He looked around for Hermione.

"She left."

George frowned. "Sorry bro, warn me next time and I won't walk in on you."

Fred chuckled. "It's not like I haven't walked in on you." He had a lot really, sometimes clothed, sometimes not. It had stopped bothering him.

"So what did you need?"

"Just wanted to let you out of exile." He replied. "Oh, and what do we want for supper."

"We should make a victory feast." That meant steak and eggs. Fried potatoes too, usually. It was a tradition of theirs.

"What victory are we celebrating?"

"Yours. You got the old bookworm out of her shell."

He hadn't thought about it that way. That _was_ quite the victory.

* * *

Hermione stood outside the house, regretting the anti-apparating spell they had put on it. She would have liked to properly put herself back to rights before facing Ron and Harry, and wished she had made use of the bathroom at Fred's before leaving. There was no helping that now though. She fixed her hair with a quick spell, and checked her face in her compact. Everything seemed okay. She marched bravely in.

Harry and Ron were sitting at the table, eating pizza. There was a delivery box on the table - they could take care of themselves!

"Hey Hermione, we weren't sure if you'd be home but we got the cheesy bread you like." Harry said, looking up at her. "What happened to your neck?"

Her hand flew up to where she knew where any marks would be. "I.. fell. I fell." She said, trying to be convincing.

Ron gave her a disgusted look. "Sure."

"_Really_." She insisted, trying very hard not to blush and give herself away. "I hadn't realized it left a bruise, let me go take care of that." She hurried off to the bathroom.

It definitely didn't look like she had fell. Hermione realized as she checked herself in the mirror. The right side of her neck was covered in red and purple marks, he apparently had bitten her harder than she had thought, – not that she had minded at the time.

Opening the medicine cabinet, she searched for something that would cover them up. A round container caught her eye, bruise salve. Harry and Ron had picked it up at the twin's shop to reduce the look of their injuries. Would it work on hickies though?

She read the container, apparently it would. She wondered how they had tested that.

Deciding that she didn't want to know, she twisted off the lid and rubbed a bit of the cream into her skin. The marks disappeared like magic – well, it was magic.

Checking herself over carefully for any other surprises, and finding none, she washed the rest of the cream from her fingers, replaced the container, and returned to the kitchen. She suddenly felt very hungry and that cheesy bread did sound good.

She grabbed a plate and slid into her usual place. "So how was training?" In a few months they were going to be Aurors, assuming they passed training.

Ron merely grunted, refusing to look up at her, but Harry smiled, albeit a little forcedly. "Good, we worked on defensive spells today."

"I'm sure that came naturally to you." She said, taking a bite of pizza.

They ate in silence after that, neither of them asking how her date had gone, and honestly, she was thankful. Living with them was going to get a lot more interesting if things like this continued. She would have to learn to be more careful.

* * *

**Interrupted by George again! He really has terrible timing, doesn't he?**

**I hope you enjoyed! Please be sure to review and tell me what you think!**

**-Zen and Sirius**


End file.
